The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
allowed I’d have a chance to see who was aboard when she
come along, because she would come in close, where the
bread did. When she’d got pretty well along down towards
me, I put out my pipe and went to where I fished out the
bread, and laid down behind a log on the bank in a little
open place. Where the log forked I could peep through.
By and by she come along, and she drifted in so close
that they could a run out a plank and walked ashore. Most
everybody was on the boat. Pap, and Judge Thatcher, and
Bessie Thatcher, and Jo Harper, and Tom Sawyer, and his
old Aunt Polly, and Sid and Mary, and plenty more. Every-
body was talking about the murder, but the captain broke
in and says:
‘Look sharp, now; the current sets in the closest here,
and maybe he’s washed ashore and got tangled amongst the
brush at the water’s edge. I hope so, anyway.’
‘I didn’t hope so. They all crowded up and leaned over
the rails, nearly in my face, and kept still, watch- ing with
all their might. I could see them first-rate, but they couldn’t
see me. Then the captain sung out:
‘Stand away!’ and the cannon let off such a blast right be-
fore me that it made me deef with the noise and pretty near
blind with the smoke, and I judged I was gone. If they’d a
had some bullets in, I reckon they’d a got the corpse they
was after. Well, I see I warn’t hurt, thanks to goodness. The
boat floated on and went out of sight around the shoulder of
the island. I could hear the booming now and then, further
and further off, and by and by, after an hour, I didn’t hear it
no more. The island was three mile long. I judged they had